Archive for the 'Skin & Beauty' Category

Hair Transplant Micro Grafting

The earlier methods of using hair plugs were not satisfactory.  People looked like they had doll’s heads, with hair sticking out of their hair in clumps.  Now hair transplants are more natural looking because of a procedure called micro grafting.

Most hair transplant surgeries today involve micro grafting to some degree.  Micro grafts hold about three or four hair follicles.  Older style hair grafts often held more like a dozen hair roots.  These new micro grafts are only possible because skilled surgeons have refined the methods of extracting them.

Micro grafts are useful in hair transplant surgery because they can give the hair a quite natural appearance.  The hair emerges from the scalp in the most natural way, with the same number of hairs that nature intended.  If the procedure is done correctly, no one can tell the difference.

Natural looking hairlines have been difficult to achieve with hair transplant surgery.  Micro grafts make it possible for a brand-new hairline to be attained that does not call attention to itself in the least.  This is quite an accomplishment after the stares that many people endured in the past because of bad hair plugs.

The pain of hair transplant procedure

Many people who think about having hair transplant surgery wonder if the procedure is painful. Often people have sensitive scalps and the thought of someone making cuts there seems hard to think about for these people.  There is disagreement as to whether hair transplant surgery is painful, though.

Some say that hair transplant surgery is similar to a visit to the dentist.  This does not seem like a description of something that is pain-free.  It certainly does not seem like a relaxing experience.  Yet some feel that there is that degree of pain involved.

The injections of the local anesthetic into the scalp before hair transplant procedures are definitely painful to some degree.  Anyone who has had a tooth pulled knows that, if the tooth is deadened properly, it is not the tooth-pulling that hurts.  It is the needle going in with medication to numb the tooth that is the real agony.

The need for hair transplant surgery

Hair transplant surgery is a big step.  The decision does not come easily to most people.  There are many aspects of your life that are affected by your choice to have or not to have the procedure done.  There are several questions to ask yourself.

1. Do I think about my hair all the time? If you cannot think of anything but how your balding head looks, it is a good indication that you need to do something.  This kind of thinking can distract you from enjoying the good things in life.  It can also mean that you are not fully focused on the activity you are engaged in at the time.  This could go so far as being dangerous.

2. Have I lost confidence at work because of my hair loss? It is possible to become so attentive to your balding problems that you feel that others look down on you at work.  If you can maintain your self confidence, that will probably not be the case at all.  However, if you feel inferior when you are dealing with new customers or clients, you will likely not do well at your job.  A hair transplant procedure could help your career.

Eyebrow Hair Transplantation

It is not unusual for men to have hair transplant surgery for male pattern baldness.  Even female baldness is discussed on commercials for hair transplant clinics.  A less common use of hair transplant surgery is to replace eyebrow hair.  However, this procedure is quite different from other hair transplant surgeries.

It is important to replace eyebrow hair that has fallen out because it is such an integral part of the human face.  People realize that men have receding hair lines and balding on the tops of their heads.  It is not out of the ordinary to see a woman with thinning hair.  Yet, look at a person without eyebrows and the effect will be disturbing.  Eyebrows are just expected.

Some people have hair transplant surgery to their eyebrows because the hair has simply fallen out over time.  Others have thyroid disease or other diseases that affect their hair.  A certain type of alopecia results in eyebrow loss.  Excessive plucking can be a problem, too.  Burns, tattoos, and infections can cause the eyebrow hair to fall out, and some people just are not able to grow eyebrows at all.

Side Effects Of Hair Transplant Surgery

A person with balding problems can gain a great deal of confidence by having hair transplant surgery. The procedure is a fairly easy one for the patient.  However, there are some minor complications or side effects that sometimes come with the surgery.

1.  Thinning. If you have hair transplant surgery, you might be alarmed if you notice that the hair you already did have is getting thinner.  This is a normal post-operative condition.  The thickness comes back within a few months after surgery.  It will be just as full as it ever was.

2.  Bleeding. The hair transplant surgery will likely cause some bleeding.  If you put pressure on the area, the bleeding will usually stop.  In rare situations, the bleeding does not stop this way.  In that case, it might be necessary for the surgeon to do some extra stitching to close the wounds.

Avoiding Dishonest Hair transplant Doctors

It is easy to assume that any doctor will do everything in his power to do right by you.  However, it would be naïve to think that there are no hair transplant doctors that are dishonestly trying to use you to make money and nothing more.  There are a few things to take into consideration.

1.  Watch out for high pressure tactics.  One example is when a promotion is run guaranteeing a special price if you schedule your procedure by a certain date.  Most reputable doctors charge a fair price for the hair transplant surgery and so do not need to discount it.  Another example is when you go in and the doctor or other people in his office will not take no for an answer.  Any good doctor knows the decision is yours to make.

After hair transplantation

Before you have hair transplant surgery, you might want to know how it will turn out.  The truth is that every head of hair is different from all others and you cannot know exactly how it will turn out.  However, with a few facts at your disposal, you can get an advance idea of how your hair will look.

1.  The more hairs per graft that are used in your hair transplant, the less natural your hair will look.  Many doctors still use grafts that contain up to eight hairs.  These do not look as conspicuous as the hair plugs of earlier decades, but they do not look as natural as they can, either.  Try to find a doctor that uses grafts that contain one to four hair follicles.

These smaller grafts, also called follicular unit grafts, are ideal in restoring a receding hairline.  If your doctor uses the follicular unit grafts for your hairline, it will look much more natural than with the larger plug-like grafts.  This is important because your hair transplant will be noticeable if the hairline is not done well.

Follicular units

To understand how follicular units have affected hair transplant surgery practices, it is necessary to first understand what a follicular unit is.  A follicular unit is a single entity that is made up of several parts.  All these parts are necessary to the whole.

The first part, and the one most people getting hair transplant surgery are interested in, is the hairs.  There should be one to four full hair follicles in the unit and one or two fine hairs as well.  There are sebaceous glands in the follicular unit which produce oil.

The follicular unit is a living unit with muscle, nerves and blood vessels that are all tiny enough to fit into this small package.  The unit is set off by a band of collagen that holds it together.  If you look under a microscope at a scalp, you can see follicular units growing in just this way.

About scars

First of all, the surgeon must be very skilled in choosing the site of the path where he harvests the donor tissue for the hair transplant.  Its width should be no more than one centimeter in most instances.  This allows the scalp to close completely when sutured back into place.

If the hair transplant procedure is done well, the scar will not be noticeable even if the patient likes to wear his hair in a short style.  The scar will only become unsightly if the patient is genetically predisposed to keloid scarring.  People who have this kind of problem need special treatment.

If a patient is known to suffer from keloid scarring, the first thing a reputable doctor will do before hair transplant surgery is to explain the possibility of unsightly scars. This requires a very honest surgeon, since the patient may decide the procedure is not worth the scarring it will cause.

About cost of hair transplant surgery

The costs for hair transplant surgery vary from doctor to doctor.  They even vary within one doctor’s practice.  A common quote for hair transplants is between $2 and $10 per graft.  The reason for the wide variance is mainly because the price per graft decreases the more grafts you have done.

Often, the price per hair transplant session is quoted.  This may be a lunchtime session.  For example, 200 grafts may be done in a short session for $2000.  That equals $10 per graft, of course, but you are getting a special time slot, and a very low number of grafts per session.

Prices for specialty hair transplant work tend to be higher as well.  For the grafts that are taken from body hair, the price per graft may be anywhere from $12 to $15.  Facial hair grafts for those who have lost eyebrows or eyelashes are also high, at $11 to $15.  These are specialized procedures.